Assessment OKd to Ease Water Deficit

Despite protests from a handful of farmers, the City Council on Wednesday directed its staff to start setting up a $6-million assessment district to alleviate a chronic water shortage in the rural Morro Hills area of Oceanside.

The council’s unanimous vote clears the way for the city to charge 313 property owners $1,732 per acre to finance construction of a reservoir, pumping station and water supply lines in Morro Hills, which borders Camp Pendleton and sits on the eastern edge of the San Luis Rey Valley.

City officials say the assessment district represents the best possible solution to a water shortage problem that has plagued the community since 1971. The new reservoir and pipelines, they say, will increase the flow of water to the area and improve its paltry storage capacity, eliminating the need for a water rationing program established in 1980.

But a handful of farmers turned out to protest creation of the district, arguing that the assessment charges were unfairly applied and could put them out of business.

“In 1975, I entered a contract with the city . . . that placed my land in an agricultural preserve, meaning I can’t develop it,” said Ed Fischer, who owns 47 acres and has been farming in Oceanside for 40 years. “But I doubt very much that I can continue to farm profitably in light of these assessment bills.”

Farmer and veterinarian Donald Brust echoed those concerns and suggested that the city scrap the district and instead encourage growers to dig deep-water wells to cover their irrigation needs.

“If enough people would develop their own (pumping and storage) system then it would relieve the burden on the city’s usage,” said Brust, whose 600-foot-deep well and 24,000-gallon storage tanks provide him with enough water to farm nine acres. “It’s also cheaper that way. All I’ve got are the pumping costs. The water’s free.”

Mayor Larry Bagley agreed that construction of wells is something the city should encourage. But he rejected that tack as a cure-all for problems in the water-starved area.

“Even if you have a well, you’ve got to have a back-up,” Bagley said. “And remember, not everyone can have a well.”

Councilman Sam Williamson said he sympathizes with the farmers’ financial plight but believes that “this is the best plan we could come up with.”

“It would be nice to be in (a district) where you didn’t have to pay anything, but that’s just not the way it works,” Williamson said.

The Morro Hills water shortage has been worsening since 1971, when the area started to see increases in both agriculture and residential construction. Jim Turner, Oceanside’s water utilities director, said the problem is caused primarily by a lack of water supply lines to the area, about 90% of which is cultivated by avocado, citrus and strawberry farmers who need vast quantities of water for their crops.

Over the years, the growers have tried various irrigation techniques to ease the effects of the shortage. In 1980, the city developed a water rationing program, permitting irrigation only according to a set schedule. But the problem persisted; on some peak days, fire hydrants ran dry, creating concerns about fire protection.

“Basically, we ran out of creative ways to work around the shortage,” Turner said. “It got to a point where every time a grower planted a new tree, it got worse.”

Under the assessment district, a property owner has the option of paying the fees immediately and receiving a 12% discount or paying them along with property taxes over the next 15 years.

Construction of the pipelines and reservoir is expected to begin in late spring. Turner said that Morro Hills’ water storage capacity under the new system will be adequate to serve the area for about 10 years.

After that, Morro Hills will have to rely on the proposed and controversial Gopher Canyon Dam project for its water supply, Turner said. Gopher Canyon Dam has been challenged in court by residents who claim it threatens their homes. Their lawsuit has forced the city to prepare a second environmental impact report for the project.

“Ultimately, the entire city of Oceanside has got to have Gopher Canyon (Dam),” Turner said. “But, for now, improvements under this assessment district will do the trick.”